"Chance Encounter"

"Yuhao might run into Tang Ya and Bei Bei on the road. Before that, I'll let Yuhao's path follow the original plot of Peerless Tang Sect and have him encounter Sky Dream Ice Silkworm," Long Yao murmured to himself. "As for Wang Dong... that faint wisp of Tang San's Divine Sense has been circling around Wang Dong this whole time. Whatever. I'll go arrange a chance encounter with Wang Dong first. Heh." After getting up, Long Yao changed into a more casual outfit, white and black. "Mm, perfect," he said narcissistically as he looked at himself in the mirror. Then he went downstairs and strolled leisurely in Wang Dong's direction. (Long Yao's plan was to walk straight toward her, face-to-face, and then "accidentally" knock her candied hawthorn out of her hand.)

The evening glow was like spilled honey and wine, dyeing half the sky above Shrek City a magnificent orange-red. The huge sun was slowly sinking below the western horizon, outlining the majestic city in gold. The Soul Tool street lamps along the road had already lit up one after another, releasing soft, bright halos that echoed the sunset in the distance, forming a stunning picture somewhere between fantasy and reality.

Downstairs from the Rose and Griffin inn, Long Xiaoyao appeared on the bustling street. He had already changed out of the luxurious clothes that displayed his status, replacing them with a well-tailored set of black-and-white casual wear. A pure white inner shirt, a short black jacket over it, and matching black trousers perfectly showed off his tall, straight figure and clearly defined muscles. He looked clean and crisp, with both a young man's vitality and a trace of steadiness that was hard to notice. Walking through the crowd, he was like a refreshing, pleasing sight.

He was not in any hurry to get anywhere. Instead, he was like a tourist who had just arrived for the first time, his hands in his trouser pockets as he strolled leisurely down the wide street paved with bluestone slabs. His gaze swept casually over the shops on both sides: dazzling arrays of Soul Tool stores, restaurants giving off tempting aromas, and stalls selling all sorts of strange and rare materials. Everything seemed so novel and interesting. The Vast Sea Ring perfectly restrained all his aura, making him look just like an ordinary youth about to enroll in school, filled with limitless hopes for the future.

Meanwhile, on South City Main Road, roughly two streets away from him, a "handsome youth" with pink-blue hair was pouting, kicking a small stone by her feet with a bored expression.

"Wang Dong" was now in a mood that had shifted from her initial excitement at entering the city to a faint irritation. Shrek City was indeed prosperous, but after seeing enough of that prosperity, it was just so-so. She pinched the bamboo skewer in her hand, which only had the last candied hawthorn left on it, feeling somewhat lost. That sweet-and-sour taste was indeed good, but it could not fill the small emptiness in her heart.

"Hmph, stupid Dad, bad Dad..." she muttered softly, so quietly that only she could hear. "Saying Douluo Continent has lots and lots of interesting people and things, telling me to come find a 'special person'... But there are so many people. Where am I supposed to look? I don't even know their name or what they look like. Isn't this just making things hard for me?"

She was complaining when her gaze was drawn to a stall selling trinkets at the street corner. Many sparkling things were laid out on the stall, and among them was a small butterfly brooch carved from blue crystal. Under the glow of the Soul Tool Lamp, it refracted dazzling light and looked especially beautiful.

A girl's instincts made her walk over involuntarily. She crouched down, picked up the Crystal Butterfly Brooch, and examined it carefully. Although the craftsmanship of this butterfly was far from as exquisite as creations of the God Realm, it carried a mortal, simple kind of beauty that made her reluctant to put it down.

"Good eye, little brother!" The stall owner was a shrewd-looking, short and plump middle-aged man. Seeing this, he immediately began to promote it enthusiastically. "This is a 'Light Butterfly' carved from Blue Crystal, a famous Spirit Beast around here! Legend says wearing it can bring good luck! I can tell you're an extraordinary young man, and this brooch suits you perfectly! It's not expensive, only three Silver Soul Coins!"

"Three Silver Soul Coins? That expensive?" Wang Dong clicked her tongue. She did not have much sense of mortal currency, but her instincts told her she was absolutely being ripped off. She was just about to bargain, completely unaware that behind her, a figure was walking toward her at an unhurried pace.

Just as Long Yao was less than twenty meters from the stall where Wang Dong was, something changed abruptly!

An indescribable, cold, majestic will seemed to cast an invisible gaze down from the divine realm above the nine heavens, instantly covering this tiny area! The air seemed to become thick and heavy in that instant. The noisy voices around them and the cries of the vendors seemed to be separated by a thick sheet of glass, turning distant and unreal.

It was a supreme pressure imbued with the sense of judgment!

Under the cover of this Divine Sense, ordinary people with low cultivation noticed nothing and continued with their lives as usual. But to Soul Masters with keen Spiritual Power, it would feel like a shudder rising from the depths of their souls. Wang Dong, who was bargaining in front of the stall, suddenly shivered for no reason. She raised her head blankly and looked around, but found nothing unusual, assuming only that the night wind had grown a little cold.

However, the target of this Divine Sense was not her. It was Long Xiaoyao, whose aura was perfectly concealed and who looked "harmless to humans and animals" as he approached step by step.

The Divine Sense was like an invisible net cast over heaven and earth, sweeping carefully over Long Xiaoyao's entire body. It probed, scrutinized, and warned. It was saying: I see you. My daughter is here. Put away any thoughts you shouldn't have.

This was the remote gaze of the God Realm's strongest "father-in-law"—Asura God Tang San!

Long Yao's footsteps did not pause in the slightest, and the expression on his face did not change at all, as if he had not sensed this Divine Sense that was enough to make an ordinary Titled Douluo tremble in fear. But the knuckles of the hand he had in his trouser pocket moved ever so slightly.

He knew he had been discovered. Or rather, any existence that tried to approach Tang Wutong would be "looked after" like this.

Interesting.

Under the gaze of this Divine Sense, the lines of fate finally intersected.

Wang Dong had just finished bargaining with the boss and bought the Crystal Butterfly Brooch with one Silver Soul Coin. She stood up in satisfaction, carefully put the brooch into her pocket, then raised the final candied hawthorn in her hand—the biggest and reddest one—preparing to enjoy it properly.

Long Yao happened to walk up behind her at this moment. He seemed to be drawn by the flames spat out by a street performer nearby. His gaze glanced slightly to the side, and his steps paused along with it in an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible way.

It was that instant of crossing paths.

Wang Dong turned around, ready to keep wandering.

Long Yao turned his head back and continued stepping forward.

"Bang."

A faint muffled sound rang out.

Their shoulders collided solidly. The force was not heavy. It was more like the most ordinary scrape one might experience on a crowded street.

But for Wang Dong, it was devastating.

She only felt her wrist go numb, and the thin bamboo skewer flew from her hand. She watched helplessly as the hawthorn fruit, wrapped in crystal-clear sugar coating and as red as agate, traced a graceful, heartbreaking arc through the air, and then...

"Splat."

It landed precisely on the dust-covered bluestone slab. The red fruit flesh and shattered sugar coating mixed with the dirt on the ground, smashed into an indescribable, sticky mess.

Her last, most anticipated bite was gone!

The air seemed to freeze for two seconds.

Wang Dong slowly, inch by inch, lowered her head and looked at the "corpse" on the ground. Then, slowly, inch by inch, she raised her head and looked at the person who had bumped into her.

Her already peerlessly handsome face was now slightly flushed with anger, and two bright flames burned in her pink-blue eyes. Even disguised as a boy, she could not hide that innate pride and fury that came from being the Little Princess of the God Realm.

"Hey!"

A clear, pleasant-to-the-ear voice rang out, filled with anger.

"Don't you have eyes when you walk?!"

She planted her hands on her hips and glared furiously at the Black-Clad Youth in front of her, who was more than half a head taller than her. She looked exactly like a beautiful Persian cat whose fur had been rubbed the wrong way. At the same time, the cold Asura Divine Sense enveloping the surroundings suddenly grew heavier with her question, locking firmly onto Long Yao.

Time: Douluo Calendar Year 2030, autumn, 8:35 p.m.

Location: Shrek City, South City Main Road

Audience: 18,231

Equipment: Vast Sea Ring

Items: Copper Spirit Coin x90

Martial Souls: First Martial Soul: Soul Breaking Spear [Traits: Armor Break, Soul Devour, Penetration]

Second Martial Soul: Chaos Holy Dragon (Hidden) [Traits: Strength, Time, Space]

Soul Power: Level 45 (Soul Ancestor) [Status: Vast Sea Ring shielding active, External Perception at Level 24]

Soul Rings: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Soul Ring (Yellow Hundred-Year), Second Soul Ring (Purple Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year)

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Soul Ring (Black Thirteen-Thousand-Year), Second Soul Ring (Black Twenty-Eight-Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Forty-Six-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Rose Gold Hundred-Thousand-Year)

Soul Skills: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Spirit Skill: Swift Shadow Stab, Second Spirit Skill: Whirlwind Spear, Third Spirit Skill: Armor Breaking Spiral, Fourth Spirit Skill: Thousand Spirit Spear Rain

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Spirit Skill: Star Ring, Second Spirit Skill: Holy Dragon Claw, Third Spirit Skill: Void Claw, Fourth Spirit Skill: Time and Space Roar

Soul Bone: None

Soul Spirit: None

Reward Stash [Million-Year Spirit Beast Inverse Scale]